Is a College Education Still Worth the Price?

Given the current economic climate, obtaining a college degree -- or beyond, some would argue -- is a requirement for finding quality work. But the value of that education, in terms of both dollars and intellectual importance, has never been more in question.

In this original title, a former university dean considers the costs and benefits of American higher education, and finds that prospective students face an array of problems that make the value of a college education highly problematic.

Writing with an insider's knowledge and experience, University of Missouri Professor of English Richard Schwartz describes the hidden costs behind exploding tuition costs that are creating a two-tiered society and saddling many graduates with staggering debt after graduation. Meanwhile the curricula at so many universities have become so watered down, and grade inflation so rampant, that students who want a solid education will have to be aggressive in seeking it out.